The Ghosts of All That Was

[ManicManiac]

I managed and reasonably early start again today... It was cold, but this time it was mostly windchill.  I decided to scout around Drift Island, at least until the wind died down.

Wolves still prowling down below...

Strange, I snuck past the Ptarmigans and found where the Crows were circling... but there was no corpse/carcass. 🤔

On the far side of the lake, I spotted more wolves near the waterfall... also, the bear.

I headed back into the Drift Island Cabin to warmup for a little while... but I started feeling strange.

When I stepped back outside... more Glimmer Fog had rolled in.

I decided I would try goating up one of the loftier rock formations on the island I'd looked at earlier.

I'd made it up to the top of the one nearest the cabin... but the view was garbage due to the fog.  

I even napped for a couple hours up there...

It hasn't gotten much better.  I suppose I'll just have to sit and wait out the fog again. 
Thankfully, I don't find insomnia to be all that much trouble. 🤭

Edited August 14 by ManicManiac

[Pyroxene]

What region are you in now?

[ManicManiac]

@Pyroxene
The Forsaken Airfield.

[ManicManiac]

I ended up waiting up there for the rest of the day. 🤭

Eventually, the glimmer fog finally lifted...

I do love these occasional eerie green skies.  

For reference... there is the Drift Island Cabin (hiding among those trees below).

Looking back from the Cabin... here is a view of where I had been able to goat up to.

I spent the rest of the evening repairing my bedroll (and a few other items).
Just as I was getting ready to struggle with Insomnia and bed down for the night...

I decided I had to goat back up to the top of the rock formation again... it was going to be a great vantage to see the airfield lit up by the aurora.

I didn't linger out there for too much longer.  I needed to get back to the cabin.

It was already well past midnight, and I need to be able to try and make a push to scout more of the tomorrow.  I'll have already spent two nights here, so it's about time I get a move on.

Also... Glimmer Fog followed by an Aurora, two days in a row?  That feels notable. 

Edited August 16 by ManicManiac

[ManicManiac]

The wind was kicking hard today... but I couldn't let that be a factor.  I needed to get moving.

 

I found a little bit of a goating opportunity... but it was a dead end.

 

The weather was getting worse.

I made my way up the slope near the waterfall.  I found several promising little nooks, but unfortunately they all lead to dead ends.

Thankfully, I did eventually find something... Brittle Cave.

Spoiler

As it turned out, I'd found more than just my next shelter... I also found a jackpot!  

After taking couple hours to bolster my water supply... I did try to scout around some more.  However, I ran afoul of a wolf.  Unfortunately, the four stones I had in my pocket all missed... so I had to lure the wolf closer to Brittle Cave and sacrifice a rabbit.

At that point, I decided it was just better to hunker down for the night.  

Edited August 18 by ManicManiac

[ManicManiac]

Spoiler

I do still need a second pair of Snowpants, a pair of Leather Gauntlets, and two Cowichan Sweaters.  It's not really necessary (all things considered)... but I would like to find them just for the sake of completing an ideal load out of "the best of everything."  

I got a mid-morning start on the day... I know from the encounter last night that I have at least one wolf to be careful of.  Yes, I could finally just use Barb's Rifle already... but I don't really feel like I need it yet, and I'd much rather save it for the last resort.

As it turned out, there were at least two prowling around nearby.

 

With some careful goating around, I managed to get up top of the lower falls.

Also, I know that the way down to the cross the river was meant to be a one-way route... but I found a way to goat back up.

I think I ended up spending too much time goating around that frozen river (between the two waterfalls), and I really just needed to get a move on.  I still have to get back to scout out the ridge line on the other side of the upper waterfall... but I also had some unfinished business on Shoulder Lake.

I found a good rock formation to use as a landmark to get back up the bank on this side of the lake.

I still needed to finish scouting around the shore of Drift Island.

Spoiler

Do you remember a couple of days ago when I thought there the carcass under those crows was missing... well today I found out I was wrong about that.

I seem to have found Archie's Crawlspace... 😖 ...I also found Archie there.
This is apparently what those crows up on Drift Island were on about.

Since I was so close to the Cove... I decide to make a quick trip back up to the Drift Island Cabin for a fast sort & stow.

However, my day was far from over.  I wasn't planning on staying another night on Drift Island, at least not if I could help it.

Even if that means a Night Hike...

Edited August 19 by ManicManiac

[ManicManiac]

I tried to do the sort & stow as quickly as possible and got back out on the ice of Shoulder Lake.

It didn't take me too long to back near the upper waterfall.  There looked to be a rather expansive ridgeline to scout leading all the way back towards Airfield 31.

By the time I'd gotten back waterfall and the ridgeline... I was already starting to run out of daylight.

As the sun set... I found mostly dead ends and sticks as I prospected along the bounding cliffs on this side of the lake.  As the light dwindled, I was determined to try and find another shelter.

However, as another Aurora started to flare up... I was also getting a bit worried.  I had spotted couple of wolves earlier... but apart from those, I had no idea where there might be other wolves prowling around.  The last thing I needed was to get ambushed by Aurora charged wolves with no idea where I could run for cover if needed.  This night hike may have been a mistake. 🤔 I'll just have to be very cautious.

Spoiler

Oh good... my mending kit is down to ~26%, I was getting to the point where I was really going to need one soon.

This was an interesting find... but I don't really trust it for spending the night here.  Moving on.

I found a gorgeous overlook... but some fallen trees above me hint that there might be a better vantage point around here.

Spoiler

I had found another promising spot tucked away along the ridgeline, but honestly expected just another dead end.  However, this time, it looked like I'd found a cave... and certainly a place I could spend the night.  When I realized it would take me out of the region, I decided I didn't want to... and kept on looking for a good place to bed down for the night.

There were so many promising looking spots, that mostly just lead to dead ends.  It was getting late, and I knew I was pushing my luck.

This is the spot I need to scout around a little more... perhaps tomorrow, I will see if I can find a way up to those downed tree bridges.  For right now though, I just needed to find a place to hole-up.

I picked a nice rock formation to use as a landmark for getting back in the morning.

And I seem to have found another cave.

However...

These are absolutely bear prints... this was likely the den for the Shoulder Lake bear. 😒 Nuts...

It turned out that the Fallow Dugout was indeed the bear's home, so I didn't dare try to make an encampment there.

I was feeling lousy, nearly half dead... and it felt like I was out of options.

I decided to just turn around and head back to Drift Island.  Even though I didn't want to... it looks like I was going to be spending another night there after all.

This time I'd be bedding down in Archie's Crawlspace, so at least I could quickly get back out across the lake tomorrow.

Edited August 19 by ManicManiac

[ManicManiac]

Today felt like a little bit of a retread from last night. 😒
It was late morning by the time I'd gotten up.

It was more than a bit disconcerting to wake up between Archie and the wolf that had killed him. 😖

I wanted to see about getting up to some downed tree bridges I'd spotted last night, and see what I could find at the top...

The wind was kicking up quite a windstorm... I was getting cold rather fast.

I decided to see about seeking some cover until the winds died down.

I ended up sitting inside the back of the helicopter for a couple of hours... 😒
It was already past noon before I could really start scouting around.

I decided to see if I could goat up to the very top...

Sure enough... I found a nice little goating opportunity.  

The view of the expanse from this side of the lake rivaled that of the Mindful Cabin.  

On the way back down however... 😒
I had to fumble my way through the glimmer fog to take cover again in the nearby downed helicopter.  Worth noting, as the deer came into view through the fog... in a panicked reflex, I got low (at first thought it was a wolf silently prowling through the fog ).

I ended up waiting out the fog for a few more hours. 😒

The day was mostly a wash, between the biting cold of this morning's windstorm and the afternoon's glimmer fog.  Oh well... it was time to get a move on.

I did stop back over by that large rock formation again... just to see if the second vista view area was hidden around up here somewhere.  It was not.  And I suppose I should have just taken the time to look at the Polaroid instead of assuming that since this was a relative high elevation, that a vista view would be here.  
Wasted time... but that was my fault. 😋

 

I loved the starfield that was out tonight.  The scaled down snapshot doesn't really do it justice.

I made my way back again to this cave tucked away just beyond the downed helicopter.  This time I wasn't going to pass up on bedding down just inside.

Oh yes, this is a much better place to get a good night's sleep than Archie's Crawlspace.  

Spoiler

Hmm... it seems that for the first time on this run, I have slight touch of scurvy risk.  I'll see to that tomorrow night.

Edited August 20 by ManicManiac
Fixed Errors

[ManicManiac]

Since I didn't make much progress in scouting yesterday, I was determined to cover more ground today.  However, today was bitter, bitter cold... and I was going to have to fight for every bit of ground I cover.

The weather felt like it was threatening a blizzard... at this rate, I wouldn't be able to be out for long before starting to freeze, but I had to press on anyway.

Much to my surprise, the weather cleared... but it was still bitterly cold.  However, the slight reprieve did serve to buy me more time to scout farther.

It appeared that I had two paths... for the time being I decided to explore closer to the Airfield.

I was already starting to freeze.  What I really needed was to find a place to warm up.  Even as it got into the afternoon, the deep cold was unrelenting.

I eventually spotted a promising spot to check...

Thankfully, I did find a good cave.  Sadly, the previous occupant was still there as well.  I huddled up in the back of the cave for a couple of hours, but once I'd managed to warm up enough... I ventured out to see if I could press on farther.

(A better view of how to locate this cave... if for nothing else than to help me find it again should the weather turn ugly)

Spoiler

Even though I'm not going to be heading to the Airfield just yet... it's still nice to get the lay of the land (so-to-speak).  I think when it's time to prospect the Airfield, I would start from the shed on the far right... and work my way up the runway.

However, I was nearly freezing again.  I would also soon be running out of daylight.  It was time to head back to the cave.

I ended up establishing a secondary encampment at the cave.  I was already feeling half-dead, so I had no intension of risking another night hike.

But I'm always a sucker for going out to watch the Aurora whenever I can.  

I think tomorrow I'll scout the upper shelf that I'd passed on the way to finding this cave.

Edited August 22 by ManicManiac

[ManicManiac]

I was sure to get a relatively early start.  Even though the weather didn't look kind... it was not nearly so bitterly cold as yesterday.  I knew this would afford me the time to make it back around and up to that upper shelf that I'd passed by the other day.

I'd found my way back to the slope easily enough... but it felt like the snowfall was getting heavier.  I didn't know how far I'd want to risk wandering away from shelter.  However, that's not so say I wasn't going to risk... but just a matter of "how much."  

I didn't like all the blind crests and corners... so I did a little goating and managed to find some better vantage points to scout the area.  Much to my delight, I did spot a cabin just a head.

 

Spoiler

I quickly searched and stowed away most of what I found here in Justy's Cabin.

I was really getting a bad feeling about the weather... 

When I found the climbing point (with a rope), I didn't hesitate to repel back down.

As it turned out, I was justified in my feelings of unease about the weather.

No sooner had I gotten to the bottom of the rope, the weather decided in a rather rapid and violent shift.

I was already starting to freeze in the short time it took me to backtrack just around the bend and find familiar markers.

I felt my way along the ridgeline and found my way back to my cozy little cave.
I'd end up spending the rest of the day here waiting out the storm.

It has given me plenty of time to consider what to go scout out tomorrow.

Edited August 23 by ManicManiac
Fixed Errors

[ManicManiac]

I'd managed a relatively early start again.  Thankfully, the blizzard had blown itself out overnight and for being early morning it wasn't all that cold at all (at least not compared to the last few days).  However, the snowfall was still rather heavy, so I decided to still go out to do a little scouting... but to keep reasonably close to this cave in case the weather decided to get hostile again.

I was still more than a bit concerned about the possibility of another blizzard rolling up behind the last one.  I eventually decided head back to the cave to nap for a couple of hours (hoping that the bad weather would make up its mind either way).

Unfortunately... the weather was still crap.  
If I couldn't make the day's route what I wanted... I'd at least head for other identified shelters.  If nothing else, I could give myself a better encampment to keep venturing out and prospecting from.

Even though the weather was still being rather threatening... when I saw the storm crows flying overhead, I decided to strike out for the runway.  Perhaps it's just superstition... but when I see a small murder of crows making a beeline across the sky like that, part of me just expects that the weather is about to change.  (Maybe it's not a bit true... but I don't care.  It's the one superstition I have here about living on Great Bear Island 😋)

When I'd gotten to the end of the runway... the heavy snowfall had transitioned into a rather dense fog. 

I was able to confirm the small shed near the far end of the runway.

Spoiler

It would only be good as a partial shelter... not really an ideal spot to whole up overnight.

Also notable... there is a small pack of three wolves prowling around. 🤔

 

A bit further up the runway, I came across the Cargomaster's Trailer.

Spoiler

This was definitely going to be my spot for a new encampment.  Even if I hadn't ended up covering the ground I was hoping to... at least I'm in a good position to continue prospecting the rest of the Airfield 31 tomorrow.  Also, it's always nice to be able to sleep in doors and in a real bed.  

However, the day wasn't over...
While I did intend to save searching the other buildings for tomorrow, I did still want to scout around the tarmac some more.

Spoiler

The heavy snowfall had returned... but honestly having gotten myself set up in the Cargomaster's Trailer, I was no longer worried about the weather for the next couple of days.  I was going to be cozy and comfortable, regardless of what the weather chose to do.  

Tomorrow, I do plan on prospecting the tower, the hanger, and the other nearby buildings of Airfield 31.
However, for now, it was time to get back to the Cargomaster's Trailer and bed down for the night.

I had really been hoping to go scout the entire stretch of the frozen river back all the way back upstream to the falls at Stony Passage... but that didn't happen.
Even so, it was still a good day.

Edited August 27 by ManicManiac

[ManicManiac]

I got a rather early start today.  Predawn morning's weather was surprisingly favorable, so I decided to make the trek up the river.

There was nothing of note to be found... but still, it was a gorgeous trek.

Unfortunately, after sunrise the wind had started kicking up.  I was already freezing, so I had to beat a hasty retreat and get back to Cargomaster's Trailer.

I downed a can of Summit Soda and took a nap for an hour to warm up.

With that little bit of scouting done, I can spend the rest of the day prospecting Airfield 31.  

Edited August 27 by ManicManiac

[ManicManiac]

It was time to spend the rest of the day Scouting and Prospecting the airfield.  It was a little before noon when I woke up from my nap and got started.

I first decided to start searching the vehicles outside.

Then the aircrafts.

Followed by the minor structures.

Spoiler

Spoiler

If I had my pick of what was left behind... I'd kind of want both of these.  These two are my favorites of what I've seen intact.
 

As the afternoon started to slide into evening (and my pack feeling a bit hefty), I decided to head back to the Cargomaster's Trailer.  I did a thorough sort & stow, spent the time to get things well organized, and bedded down for the night.

[ManicManiac]

Today I got started sometime midmorning, and it was (as it has most days recently) bitterly cold.  However today, I was going to begin prospecting the primary structures of Airfield 31.

Starting with the Main Hanger.

Even as I approached the weather had started to rapidly shift (cloudy to sunny, then snowfall rolling in quickly).  This didn't bother me though.  Given the size of the Main Hanger, I expected that I would likely be indoors for the entire day.

I took some time to scout the points of ingress (always important should I ever find myself fleeing from wildlife ).

I quickly realized that cataloging the Main Hanger was going to be impractical.  So, for the purposes of keeping this entry to a somewhat reasonable length, I will have to truncate it somewhat.

Then it was time to head up to the second floor.

Then finally, it was time to investigate the basement.

Spoiler

I did indeed end up spending the majority of the day prospecting every inch of the Main Hanger.  I then spent a considerable amount of time on a thorough sort & stow.  Naturally this was a prime location for a primary encampment.  For the most part though, nearly all of what I found I would ultimately leave behind.

There were some more odds and ends that I tucked away inside of the nearby toolboxes.
All of the other foodstuffs (not shown) are getting packed in to bolster my food supply.  If rationed wisely, this hanger alone just provided me another two weeks' worth of food for the treks still ahead.

Spoiler

I did happen to find this bit of unexpected treasure... but I wasn't about to leave these behind.  So far, I've not yet had to use the rifle I have with me, and having these noisemakers finally gave me an alternative to the stones I've been using for self-defense.   So yeah, I'll carry the extra weight to have these on hand.

I briefly peeked outside.  It figures that the weather would opt to be generally mild while I was inside prospecting.  

Rather than heading for the next building (the Terminal), I decided to get comfortable at the Main Hanger for the night.

I know there are better places to sleep (such as the bed down in the basement), but this little one seemed like it could use some company for the night; and I know that I could.

Edited August 28 by ManicManiac
Fixed Errors

[ManicManiac]

The instant I woke up, I knew something was amiss.  The wind sounded absolutely hateful.  However, windstorms were not necessarily uncommon in this region.  Bracing for a bitter cold wind, I peeked outside.

Nope... it was a full-on blizzard, because of course it was.  

While not unexpected, I would have liked it better if had hit yesterday.
Nevertheless, this could work out well enough.  I did plan on prospecting both the Terminal and Control Tower today (spending today mostly inside as well).  Here is where I needed to take a moment to weigh a bit of risk and reward. 🤔

I know the blizzard is going to be beating up my clothing a bit, but I had to get out there if I was going to get my prospecting done today.  The good thing is that I know roughly the direction that I need to go and it's a relatively short distance.  So, given that my clothing probably wouldn't get beat up too much.

However, there was also an alternative.  I could still make the push and save my clothing from taking the condition hit at all; simply by not wearing any of it.

Having it all stuffed into my pack would protect it well enough, but I had to plot my course true.  If I got off track or turned around, I risk freezing and frost bite.

I was probably wiser to just take the small condition hit to my outer layer... 
So of course, I stripped down to nothing and sprinted out into the blizzard.

I was initially off just a little bit but at the helipad, I could see the outline of the terminal and adjusted course.

I rushed inside and got my gear back on as quickly as I could.

It was a small building with not much to it.  A passenger corralling area, a lavatory, ticketing and info desks, as well as a backroom workspace for processing and loading checked luggage.  Of note, there was a genuinely surprising amount of antibiotics that I found here.  I gained three bottles and opted to leave behind the two highest condition bottles of the variety that I now had in total.   I also wasn't really expecting to find a set of quality tools.  I would have expected that in the Main Hanger.

The blizzard was still kicking hard outside.
So, I stripped off all my clothing and once again sprinted out into the storm.  

It was still every bit as bitingly cold.  The rate at which I had been hemorrhaging body heat today has been truly frightening.  

As before, I rushed inside to gear up again.

I figured leaving the Wool Tuque, Aviator Cap, and Painkillers would be a fine telltale sign of where I'd left my cache of what I've opted to leave behind (that is to say so future me can't forget where I put things).

Spoiler

Not bad for the ground floor of a Control Tower.  

It was time to ascend.

Spoiler

The message found with it gave me some valuable information... It seems I need to start paying attention to Radio Towers and Relay Transmitters. 🤔

Since the blizzard was still raging, I decided to strip down and see if I could quickly get this Transmitter fixed up before I started to freeze to death.

I'd only just managed to get a ruined battery switched out with a good one, when I found my right hand was in some serious pain... 😖

Two areas of frost bite risk, both on my right hand.
I'd pressed my luck, and now I'd have to be careful.
Rather than continue my repairs to the Transmitter, I got back inside and got all my clothing back on.  No more of that until my frost bite risk heals.

I'd just have to sit tight and wait out the storm.
After all, this storm has been raging all day... I mean, how much longer could it possibly last? 🤭

 

Edited August 29 by ManicManiac

[ManicManiac]

😒
...

...

...

...

As it turns out that the answer was, "18 HOURS!"
I risk no hyperbole when I say that storm was a Pleasant Valley sort of blizzard.  It was raging well before sunup, and didn't stop until around 10 or 11 p.m. (or 22-23:00).

Rather than just go to bed (again probably the wiser course).  I went back outside to finish the job of repairing the Transmitter.

I soon found that I need to find scrap metal... (and frankly more than I would have anticipated).
I had picked up some from around the Control Tower, but that only gave me 3 pieces.

Thanks to my earlier prospecting... I knew where to find two more.  

I went back to the Main Hanger (as well as the smaller maintenance hanger/bay) to grab up some more scrap and headed back.

I don't think I've ever wanted scrap metal this badly before.  

All that was left to do was switch it on and wait.

...or I suppose an Aurora could flare up right away.

I stop off back inside to warm up again.

I was so very exhausted... it probably isn't wise to try and power through to try and see what signals I might find.
So naturally, I decided to go on a tentative night hike.  

I was already more than halfway to freezing... it appeared that the secondary channel was pointing back towards Shoulder Lake.  However, I was getting far too cold, far too fast.  I eventually wised up and decided to turn back.

I opted to bed down at the top of the tower.
This turned out to be very very long day. 😖💤

Edited August 31 by ManicManiac

[ManicManiac]

I woke up early the next morning to find area has been overtaken by glimmer fog. 🤔

Seemed a good opportunity to see about finding where that signal from last night was coming from.   However, I do also know there are wolves further out near the Cargomaster's Trailer, but now I wouldn't be able to see them.  I'd have to be cautious as I felt my way through the fog with only the Handheld Shortwave Radio to guide me.

Once again, the bearing seemed to be pointing me towards Shoulder Lake. 

As I wandered through the fog, at one point I heard the howl of a nearby wolf... but dangerously close, so I got low and crawled a considerable distance.

Eventually, I appear to have found something... 🤔

Spoiler

A good find... but nothing immediately important.

I held out the radio and panned around "scanning" in all directions... but found no other signals.  This wasn't really the ideal situation to be trying to roam around looking for more.  I was hoping that the transmitter would essentially be a signal repeater... but apparently not for these tagged supply drops. 🤔  I think if I'm going to find any more of them, I will have to hope for a warmer night to have an aurora.

In the meantime, I was essentially lost in the fog.  I quickly decided to try and simply follow my footprints back to the Control Tower (hopefully before the trail faded away).

Thankfully, I was able to follow my own trail and get back to the airfield without running afoul of any of the wolves that I could still hear howling from time to time.

I stopped by the Control Tower very briefly to drop off what I'd found in the supply drop.

I did wonder if it might be a good idea to bring fuses and wires along with me, as well as collecting scrap metal along the way when it comes time for me to seek out the other busted Transmitters.  🤔

I decided to head back to the Main Hanger to wait out the fog to abate. 

For once I could dodge the strange effect of this glimmer fog.  
Felt like a little bit of a waste of a day... and I do still have a bit of frost bite risk to tend to.

I suppose I will have to wait and see if I get an Aurora tonight... or if I'm going to start scouting the last quadrant of Forsaken Airfield tomorrow.

[ManicManiac]

I'd gotten an early start, and thankfully it wasn't as brutally cold this morning.

I found what looked like a footpath heading upwards, so I opted to scout down here first.

Before that though, I had to head inside to warm up again.

As soon as I had, I was quick to head out again.

Following a slope down even lower than the rest of the expanse, I found another frozen body of water.  From the look of the sheer walls, it was a small ravine forming a vague crescent shape.  It was apparently also the territory to a couple of wolves.  I'd have to be very careful. 🤔

At the heart of the bend, I found Frost Cave.

Inside however, I had found yet another poor unfortunate soul.

Spoiler

I spent a couple of hours to bolster my water supply... and heal the lingering frostbite risks.

Unfortunately, a rather dense fog had rolled in.  Now I had to decide between staying put and risking a mauling by venturing out into the mist. 🤔

[ManicManiac]

It was probably wiser for me to just stay put... 
So naturally, I ventured out into the mist. 😋

There off to the right... the vague silhouette of a wolf could be seen.

Two of them... to be more specific.

There seemed to be two ways around the far end of this very small ravine.

Thankfully, the fog lifted, and I was able to scout the rest of the crescent shaped pond.

On the farthest end, I found myself back on the main road and not far from the Stoney Passage Falls.

Spoiler

Having made the right route, I opted to spend the night in the main hanger again.

Tomorrow, I'll head up the footpath that I had found this morning.

[ManicManiac]

I managed to get up sometime midmorning... and set out to explore the last stretch of the Forsaken Airfield.
I found the other wonderful vista view.  I did spend the time to survey, but I was already starting to get deathly cold.

It appeared as though this route was a twisted and winding backtrail up to the main road I'd come in on.  Since I'd covered the vast expanse of the Forsaken Airfield... I decided I would take advantage of the find.

I found myself back in Transfer Pass...

Spoiler

 

Oh good.  It turned out that I had indeed dropped off the other Filter Canisters here at Vale Station.
I was beginning to second guess myself.  

I ended up spending the remainder of the day at Vale Station and studying the notes left behind by the Field 31 crew. 🤔

Spoiler

 

[Pyroxene]

Ah, yeah. Forsaken Airfield. The vast, vast horizons.

[ManicManiac]

🤔 I decided on heading back to the Forsaken Airfield... going in to get whatever wires, fuses, and scrap metal I can carry.  Considering the instructions left behind by the Field 31 crew, it might be better start gathering up what I can on the way to the specific regions it mentions. 

Edited September 7 by ManicManiac

[ManicManiac]

Drat... I have to wait out a blizzard first.

[ManicManiac]

Thankfully, I only had to wait a couple more hours for the storm to blow itself out.  Time to get moving.

In case I find I ever need a couple of batteries...

 

I made a quick stop at the Junker's Paddock, but only gathered up some coal and a single piece of scrap metal.  Moving on.

Moose on the loose.  Duly Noted.

I decided to hole-up at the downed rescue helicopter.  As a reasonably cental location, this seemed to me like a good place from which to launch short trips out to a handful of spots to check my encampments for more fuses, wires, and scrap metal that I would have left behind.

After I'd got settled in for the night, an aurora flared up.  I did spend a little time seeing if I could pick up a signal, but there didn't seem to be any in the vicinity (so I just went to bed instead).

Edited September 8 by ManicManiac

[ManicManiac]

Spoiler

In an exceedingly rare turn of events... The Long Dark crashed on me this evening (along with the Steam client itself) as I was near to drawing the session to a close, so I've lost the entire session.  I did redo the session, but once again... at some point near the end of the day as I was taking a screenshot, it crashed out again (and again costing me the session).

I'll re-run the same route tomorrow. 😒

Edited September 9 by ManicManiac